sábado, 14 de abril de 2012

SRILA UDDHARANA DATTA THAKURA

MAESTROS ESPIRITUALES

DISAPPEARANCE OF SRILA UDDHARANA DATTA THAKURA:

SRILA UDDHARANA DATTA THAKURA

Srila Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura was an intimate associate of Lord Nityananda. Raised in a family of gold merchants, he later married and became a wealthy minister. Lord Nityananda would often stay in his home. At the age of twenty-six, Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura renounced home and family and joined Lord Nityananda's kirtana party.

Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura, was the eleventh among the twelve cowherd boys, was an exalted devotee of Lord Nityānanda Prabhu. He worshiped the lotus feet of Lord Nityānanda in all respects. Adi 11.41

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes in his Anubhāṣya:

"The Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (129) states that Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura was formerly the cowherd boy of Vṛndāvana named Subāhu. Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura, previously known as Śrī Uddhāraṇa Datta, was a resident of Saptagrāma, which is situated on the bank of the Sarasvatī River near the Triśabighā railway station in the district of Hugli. At the time of Uddhāraṇa Ṭhākura, Saptagrāma was a very big town, encompassing many other places such as Vāsudeva-pura, Bāńśabeḍiyā, Kṛṣṇapura, Nityānanda-pura, Śivapura, Śańkhanagara and Saptagrāma

Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura was the manager of the estate of a big zamindar in Naihāṭī, about one and a half miles north of Katwa. The relics of this royal family are still visible near the Dāińhāṭa station. Since Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura was the manager of the estate, it was also known as Uddhāraṇa-pura. Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura installed Nitāi-Gaura Deities that were later brought to the house of the zamindar, which was known as Vanaoyārībāda. Śrīla Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura remained a householder throughout his life. His father's name was Śrīkara Datta, his mother's name was Bhadrāvatī, and his son's name was Śrīnivāsa Datta.

In the Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa, Chapter Five, it is said that Uddhāraṇa Datta was an extremely elevated and liberal Vaiṣṇava. He was born with the right to worship Nityānanda Prabhu. It is also stated that Nityānanda Prabhu, after staying for some time in Khaḍadaha, came to Saptagrāma and stayed in the house of Uddhāraṇa Datta.

The suvarṇa-vaṇik community to which Uddhāraṇa Datta belonged was actually a Vaiṣṇava community. Its members were bankers and gold merchants (suvarṇa means "gold," and vaṇik means "merchant")

By the grace of Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu, the suvarṇa-vaṇik community was again elevated. It is said in the Caitanya-bhāgavata, yateka vaṇik-kula uddhāraṇa haite pavitra ha-ila dvidhā nāhika ihāte: there is no doubt that all the community members of the suvarṇa-vaṇik society were again purified by Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu

In Saptagrāma there is still a temple with a six-armed Deity of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that was personally worshiped by Śrīla Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura. On the right side of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is a Deity of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, and on the left side is Gadādhara Prabhu. There are also a Rādhā-Govinda mūrti and a śālagrāma-śilā, and below the throne is a picture of Śrī Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura. In front of the temple there is now a big hall, and in front of the hall is a Mādhavī-latā plant.

Not more than fifty years ago, one of the family members of Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura named Jagamohana Datta established a wooden mūrti [statue] of Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura in the temple, but that mūrti is no longer there; at present, a picture of Uddhāraṇa Datta Ṭhākura is worshiped. It is understood, however, that the wooden mūrti of Uddhāraṇa Ṭhākura was taken away by Śrī Madana-mohana Datta and is now being worshiped with a śālagrāma-śilā by Śrīnātha Datta.